Virginia’s leading political commentator is coming to Longwood next month to share his insights on the consequential 2019 state legislative elections, as well as national politics in the bellwether Old Dominion as the 2020 presidential campaign shifts into gear.

Richmond Times-Dispatch political columnist Jeff Schapiro will return to Longwood for a public lecture with Q&A on Wednesday, Nov. 20 — just two weeks after an Election Day that has the potential to shake up the state’s political landscape. Schapiro will speak at 7 p.m. in the Soza Ballroom of the Upchurch University Center. His talk, the first installment in the 2019- 20 President’s Lecture Series, is free and open to the public.

Schapiro will offer an insider’s look at the state political scene and analyze the election results from the Nov. 5 legislative elections. Control of both houses of the Virginia General Assembly is up for grabs this year, with all 140 seats in the legislature on the ballot. Other timely topics include early handicapping of the 2021 gubernatorial race, and the intersection of Virginia politics with the momentous and deeply contentious events playing out in national politics.

Schapiro last delivered a President’s Lecture Series talk in February 2016 as part of the run-up to Longwood’s hosting the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate.

“There’s no more influential voice on Virginia politics than Jeff Schapiro, the dean of the state’s political reporting corps,” said Longwood President W. Taylor Reveley IV. “He has wielded his aggressive-but-fair pen on the political front lines for more than 3-1/2 decades, and we are delighted to welcome him back to Longwood at such a unique juncture in our state politics and as we look ahead to 2020. He is one of the finest minds in the state, and I can’t think of a more fitting person to launch this year’s President’s Lecture Series.”

Schapiro has covered campaigns and government for more than 35 years, during which time Virginia has emerged as a decisive swing state prized by the national political parties. He first joined the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 1987 and has covered 10 gubernatorial campaigns, 11 governors, every session of the General Assembly since 1981, 12 presidential primaries and conventions, and dozens of congressional and legislative elections.

He has been recognized by the Virginia Press Association, and in 2015 was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame at Virginia Commonwealth University. He currently serves as a political analyst for Virginia Public Media News and as a correspondent for The Economist, covering Southern politics and culture.

A native of New York City, Schapiro has a bachelor’s degree in history from Georgetown University